Semiconductors are used extensively in today's electronic devices. Their miniature size and low power requirements enable highly complex circuits to be used in places never before thought possible. This has led to the development of systems with the speed and power to make our lives easier without encumbering us with bulky boxes and power-hungry electronics. One of the keys to both light weight and energy efficiency is the tiny size of the circuitry. With each new generation of circuit technology, comes smaller and smaller device sizes.
Many electronic systems include a memory device, such as a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), to store data. A typical DRAM includes an array of memory cells. Each memory cell includes a capacitor that stores the data in the cell and a transistor that controls access to the data. The capacitor includes two conductive plates. The top plate of each capacitor is typically shared, or common, with each of the other capacitors. This plate is referred to as the “top cell plate.” The charge stored across the capacitor is representative of a data bit and can be either a high voltage or a low voltage. Data can be either stored in the memory cells during a write mode, or data may be retrieved from the memory cells during a read mode. The data is transmitted on signal lines, referred to as digit lines, which are coupled to input/output (I/O) lines through transistors used as switching devices. Typically, for each bit of data stored, its true logic state is available on an I/O line and its complementary logic state is available on an I/O complement line. Thus, each such memory cell has two digit lines, digit and digit complement.
Typically, the memory cells are arranged in an array and each cell has an address identifying its location in the array. The array includes a configuration of intersecting conductive lines, and memory cells are associated with the intersections of the lines. In order to read from or write to a cell, the particular cell in question must be selected, or addressed. The address for the selected cell is represented by input signals to a word line decoder and to a digit line decoder. The word line decoder activates a word line in response to the word line address. The selected word line activates the access transistors for each of the memory cells in communication with the selected word line. The digit line decoder selects a digit line pair in response to the digit line address. For a read operation, the selected word line activates the access transistors for a given word line address, and data is latched to the digit line pairs.
Some circuit devices utilize “container” structures, and such container structures are often utilized as a capacitor for a memory cell due to their efficient use of semiconductor die real estate. After formation, these container structures look like tiny holes within the surrounding material. They will generally have a closed bottom, an open top and side walls extending between the closed bottom and open top. Typically, containers that will be formed into capacitor structures will have dimensions that are taller than they are wide, often referred to as a “high aspect-ratio.” This high aspect-ratio of container capacitors can allow the capacitor to store more energy while maintaining the same two-dimensional surface area.
However, capillary forces may cause the container structures of the memory array to lean and/or stick together. In particular, because of the proximity of these container structures, surface tension (caused by the capillary forces) caused by liquids used for the removal of certain materials (e.g., an oxide) during fabrication may cause the container structures to be pulled together. For example, the liquid used during a wet etch operation to remove an oxide may introduce such capillary forces into the fabrication of the memory array.
For the reasons stated above, for other reasons stated below, and for other reasons which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art an improved methods, apparatuses and systems for semiconductor fabrication.